2016 Cox Consumer Pulse on California's Small Businesses

This feature is brought to you by Cox Communications (Patch Partner).

A survey of nearly 200 California residents explores their support of local small to mid-sized businesses, and identifies ways those businesses can improve the customer experience.

Shop Small. Leave Happy.

Consumers can’t get enough of small businesses. From restaurants and boutiques, to physicians and salons, the majority of consumers (90 percent) frequent small businesses at least once a week. Notably, 43 percent are shopping small three or more times a week. When asked which types of small businesses they support regularly, local cuisine and clothing shops were among consumers’ top three choices. 70% Food and beverage stores (grocery, convenience stores) 59% Restaurants 41% Clothing and clothing accessories stores,

It’s more than the delicious fare that keeps people coming back to restaurants; the majority of consumers consider this type of small business to deliver the best customer service.

In general, customer courtesy, convenience and supporting the community are the primary reasons why consumers love shopping small. 62% Convenience 61% Local support 55%. Greater customer service

WiFi Fuels Californians More Than Coffee.

When asked what types of technology could enhance the customer experience at their favorite SMB, 42 percent of consumers requested free and reliable WiFi.

WiFi is so in demand, consumers chose it over coffee and cable as the best perk to have access to while waiting for service.

59% WiFi

20% Coffee

11% TV/Cable

10% Magazines

California Slowly Phoning Payments In

Mobile wallets haven’t become a priority for most consumers who frequent small businesses. In fact, when asked whether or not they would use their smartphones more often to pay for items if the small businesses they frequented accepted mobile payments, most said no. 52% No 48% Yes However, receiving loyalty rewards digitally matters. Seventy percent of consumers prefer digital rewards programs versus old school paper punch cards.

While consumers love a good Black Friday deal, they don’t want small business owners to sacrifice their holidays. When asked if small businesses should stay open on holidays, most consumers (66 percent) didn’t feel it’s necessary.

Connecting with The Golden State: Email beats Facebook When asked which digital channels are preferred when looking to interact with small business, consumers are favoring email and Facebook over Instagram and Twitter: 55% Website 47% Email 41% Facebook 21% Instagram 20% Text 14% Twitter

Who Will Win for Small Businesses?

Seventy-two percent of consumers feel the federal government does not do enough to promote small business growth on a national level. 72% No 28% Yes Additionally, more consumers (47 percent) believe the Democratic Party is most contributory of small business growth compared to Republicans and Independents. Bernie Sanders edged out Hillary Clinton and cruised past Donald Trump when consumers were asked which political candidate is most likely to support legislation that provides more opportunity for small businesses. 30% Bernie Sanders 28% Hillary Clinton 24% Donald Trump 6% Ted Cruz

Growing Up a Go-getter

The entrepreneurial bug starts early. According to survey responses, consumers have tried their hands at a variety of business ventures as kids, including: 44% Babysitting 28% Neighborhood lemonade stand 27% Lawn mowing 26% Paper route 12% Dog walking,

Shark Tank Takes Bite Out of Competition

Business pitches triumphed over business makeovers when consumers were asked which small business reality show is their favorite. 40% Shark Tank 36% Restaurant Impossible 18% Bar Rescue 7% The Profit About the 2016 Cox Business Consumer Sentiment Survey on Small Business Cox Business commissioned a blind survey of American consumers in March of 2016. Respondents to the online survey included a total of 2,094 consumers around the country – 187 of whom live in California. These results are specific to California residents.

About Cox Business:

The commercial division of Cox Communications, Cox Business provides voice, data and video services for more than 300,000 small and regional businesses nationwide, including healthcare providers, K-12 and higher education, financial institutions and federal, state and local government organizations. The organization also serves most of the top tier wireless and wireline telecommunications carriers in the U.S. through its wholesale division.

Cox Business is consistently ranked as one of the top Ethernet providers and recognized by third parties for award winning business telecom service. For more information, please visit www.coxbusiness.com.